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Johnathan Gray to prove doubters wrong in final year at Texas?

By Hayden Hyde

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What has former five-star recruit Johnathan Gray, former five-star recruit, done since joining the Texas Longhorns?

Johnathan Gray has had a relatively mediocre collegiate career for the all-time high school scoring leader in Texas state history. He has failed to register over 800 rushing yards in a season since joining the Longhorns and in 2014 he only had one 100-yard rushing game. So, what happened to Johnathan Gray?

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Gray was rated as the No. 1 running back and the No. 6 player in the nation coming out of high school, but has failed to live up to that potential at Texas. The young man from Aledo, Texas was a consensus five-star prospect who accounted for more than 50 touchdowns in his last three prep campaigns.

This ultimately led him to the University of Texas where he was recruited by Major Applewhite to be a key contributor to their offense. The future looked bright for Gray when he registered 701 yards and three touchdowns during his first year on the 40 Acres.

Texas Longhorns
Texas Longhorns /

Texas Longhorns

Then, in 2013, he ran for over 600 yards over a period of six games before unfortunately tearing his Achilles and ending his promising season.

He came back from that injury in 2014 to post pretty pedestrian numbers, however they aren’t entirely his fault. In 2014, Gray was never given more than 16 rushing attempts per game. Texas took a more committee-type approach to their running backs last year, utilizing other former five-star running back Malcolm Brown more than they did Gray. This was peculiar because Brown only eclipsed more than five yards per carry twice in 2014, while Gray did it five times that year.

Now Brown is gone and Gray is set to take his place as the feature back and hopefully has his burst back after two years removed from his Achilles tear. A lot of Texas’ success will hinge on how he performs this season. Charlie Strong will need him to produce to alleviate some pressure from whoever wins the quarterback battle.

With the Achilles injury behind him, Brown gone, and another full offseason under Strong; I believe Gray can succeed. Texas has a nice crop of new offensive lineman to help fix problems up front so that should help too. This season is a lot like a “contract year” for Gray; it is his last opportunity to put out good film for scouts and resurrect his status as one of the greatest backs in Texas.

Next: Who Will Win The Texas QB Competition?

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